


And this child I would destroy, if you try to set her free

by shinewithalltheuntold



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 15:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4751615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinewithalltheuntold/pseuds/shinewithalltheuntold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Mother. Cora didn’t go far when she left Regina that night, but when she returns to her daughter…things don’t go as expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And this child I would destroy, if you try to set her free

She waited two days.

Two days since her foolish daughter had taken the potion to make herself sterile, once again ruining all of Cora’s carefully laid plans. Two days since Regina had ordered her own mother out of her life, as if Cora hadn’t sacrificed _everything_ for the ungrateful wretch. As if she hadn’t spent the past decade exiled in Wonderland because of Regina’s tantrum and refusal to accept that Cora was trying to give her a better life. The worst thing, though, was that her daughter honestly expected her to just go. 

She might not have been able to stop Regina from forcing her through the looking glass, but she would be damned if she allowed her daughter to send her away again. No, this time she was going to stay. This time she was going to stay right here until Regina stopped this foolishness and realized that in the end, Cora knew best.

It was difficult waiting even as long as she had. Watching the sun rise twice on the kingdom Regina ruled, that Cora had provided her, and that Regina took for granted. Watching the sun set twice on the castle where Regina hid away from her subjects, with only Cora’s spineless coward of a husband to guide her. As if Henry had ever shown Regina what it would take to lead, to rule. The fifth son of a deposed king; a man whose only true talent was in keeping his mouth shut and staying out of the way while those stronger than him took control of their destinies, and his as well by default.

But she would wait no longer. She would return to Regina, swallow her pride and apologize to her daughter for…whatever it was Regina blamed her for this time. She would bide her time until she regained her daughter’s trust, and then she would show Regina what it meant to rule. What it meant to have true power and control over one’s own life – by having control over the lives of those around you.

She slipped easily past the guards in the outer hall, a simple glamour that had them believing she was the Queen let her move about with ease. It was a risk, posing as her daughter without knowing exactly where Regina was in the castle, but only a slight one. Regina had always hidden herself away in her room when she was upset, a habit that irritated Cora but served her well in this instance.

Once she reached the doors to Regina’s private rooms (and why was she staying in these quarters? With Leopold gone she should have taken the king’s rooms as her own. It would be one of the first mistakes Cora would rectify once her position was more secure), she reversed the glamour and reached for the handle. It was locked, of course, but whatever magic Rumple had been teaching Regina, it was no match for Cora’s own. The door opened under the force of Cora’s will, and she stepped confidently inside.

A fire burned brightly in the fireplace, casting a warm glow upon the austere décor. A high back chair faced the glowing embers, and for a moment Cora thought her daughter sat in it until she heard a soft whimper from the bed. Moving carefully, she made her way to Regina’s side, and spent a moment gazing upon her sleeping daughter.

She looked…young, no older than she was the day she pushed Cora through the looking glass. She certainly didn’t look as though ten years had passed, ten years in which time Regina had done everything that Cora had wished. Become the queen and gotten rid of that weakling Leopold, taken control and assumed power for herself. She just wished Regina could see that for the gift it was instead of being so spoiled and ungrateful and…

Cora’s hands clenched into fists, white knuckled, as the urge to shake her daughter into wakefulness, into sense, nearly overpowered her. But she had gotten where she was by being patient and keeping her emotions under control as few could manage, and she would do the same now. She unclenched a hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her daughter’s temple.

“Regina, dear,” Cora pitched her voice low, reining in her frustration with her daughter and forcing a soothing tone to her words, “I know you asked me to leave, but I simply couldn’t walk away without knowing you were alright.”

“I’m afraid you’re wasting your breath, my dear. Regina won’t be waking for quite a few hours yet.”

The voice came from behind her _the figure in the chair she should have checked_ and Cora tensed, magic at the ready, and turned slowly to face the fire.  
Cora was a queen. The Queen of Hearts, beloved and feared in Wonderland, a woman who ruled with magic and ruthlessness and sheer strength of will. She had spent her entire life taking power from those with less cunning and ambition, and she took great delight in intimidating all around her, whatever their station. Taking in this intruder in her daughter’s chambers, though, she was forced to admit that she might have found someone she would not be able to intimidate so easily.

The woman standing before her was tall and majestic, bearing a regal posture that no amount of training or instruction could create. Long blond hair fell in riotous curls, framing a pale face dominated by bold red lips and eyes that burned with cold fire. One delicate eyebrow arched as she slowly looked Cora up and down, and Cora felt herself bristle with indignation when the other woman’s look indicated she clearly found Cora lacking.

“Who are you? What have you done to my daughter?”

“I have done nothing to Regina other than allow her a peaceful night’s sleep. As for who I am,” a cold and dangerous smile stretched across the other woman’s face, “you may call me Maleficent.”

For the first time in decades, Cora felt an icy wave of fear wash over her. As powerful as she was, Maleficent’s magic was legendary. She had read of the woman’s exploits early in her own studies, and had been in awe of the dragon sorceress with an expertise in…her eyes widened as she spared a glance for Regina slumbering in her bed… _sleeping curses_. 

“Relax, dear,” Maleficent’s voice was amused. “I didn’t curse your daughter. It’s just a little spell to give her a full night’s rest. She’ll be none the worse for wear.”

Cora’s eyes narrowed at the other sorceress. “How can you be certain your ‘little spell’ won’t harm her?”

Maleficent shrugged. “It never has before.”

“You’ve done this before? And she let you?” Cora couldn’t imagine Regina willingly letting anyone use magic on her like that. Not after the lessons Cora had worked so hard to instill in Regina during her youth.

“Not exactly,” the golden haired woman conceded without apology as she looked fondly at the sleeping Queen, “Regina has never realized it is a spell that lets her sleep so soundly when I am near.”

A malicious smirk crossed Maleficent’s face as she continued, “she attributes her fatigue to…other things.”

Rage flooded Cora as Maleficent’s meaning became clear. Power sparked within her and she stepped without thinking towards the hearth. 

While Cora was surprised at her daughter’s choice in lovers, she had thought – especially after the whole soul mate debacle – that her daughter was attracted solely to men; she didn’t disapprove of this relationship on any moral grounds. Morals were for lesser beings, after all. But Regina had not been ruling long; there were those that would use her relationship with this witch as an excuse to strike against her. And she had no doubt Maleficent would abandon her daughter at the first sign of trouble. Perhaps she was even counting on that trouble as a way to strip Regina of her power and take it for herself.

Cora would not let that happen. She had raised her daughter to be Queen, and she would ensure that no one stole that from her. She took another step towards Maleficent, intent on striking, when suddenly the other woman vanished. She whirled, cursing herself for the fool when just as she suspected, Maleficent had reappeared on the other side of Regina’s bed. Seemingly unconcerned with the threat Cora posed, Maleficent eased herself down next to Cora’s peacefully slumbering daughter.

Cora watched as the other woman reached out and brushed the back of her hand gently across Regina’s cheek and Regina, even in her cursed slumber, reacted to that gentle touch by nuzzling closer to Maleficent’s hand. Cora was struck again by how young her daughter looked, although she couldn’t remember a time when Regina had moved into her touch the way she did her lover’s. A small pained voice, weakened by decades of neglect, whispered that she had never touched her daughter with the tenderness Maleficent was currently showing. But she gave the voice no more attention than a buzzing insect, swatting it away as she always did.

Cora stepped back towards the bed and Maleficent’s head whipped up, her gaze locked onto Cora and one hand raised to fend off attack. It didn’t escape Cora’s notice that the other hand, the one that had stroked Regina’s face, was now resting protectively on her daughter’s bare shoulder. 

Perhaps the witch wasn’t after Regina’s power after all. Perhaps Maleficent truly did care for her daughter. It was an unexpected development, and Cora’s mind raced as she tried to determine how to use it to her advantage. 

Maleficent seemed to take Cora’s silence for shock at the revelation of her relationship with Regina. “What’s the matter, child?” and oh, how Cora bristled at Maleficent’s condescension, “having trouble dealing with your daughter’s choices? Or perhaps your time away has dulled your mind too much?”

“On the contrary, my dear. I’ve found that Wonderland has only sharpened my talents,” Cora’s voice was like ice. “I have to say I am surprised to see you, though. From what I understood, you had hidden yourself away in your castle after that…unfortunate incident with Briar Rose and her stalwart King Stefan.”

She was rewarded for that pointed barb with the flash of pain that flared in Maleficent’s eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, and Cora began to sense her great disadvantage in this particular fight.

“Yes, well, I’m afraid your information is a bit outdated. Not that I blame you; it can’t be easy getting accurate information from a realm such as Wonderland.” Maleficent smiled, and the part of Cora focused on self-preservation trembled. “I will admit, the unfortunate incident as you call it did cause me some small distress. Fortunately, I found someone who reminded me of who I am.”

“So now you kneel before my daughter’s throne?” Maleficent’s smile morphed from one of cunning to one of honest delight, and she stroked a thumb gently back and forth across Regina’s skin. Her other hand was still raised, however, and Cora had no doubt that the woman would strike with the slightest provocation.

“Before her throne? No. But I have…worshipped at her altar a time or two. A singularly pleasurable experience. One which she graciously and enthusiastically reciprocated, mind you.”

“You disgust me.”

Maleficent finally lifted her hand from Regina and placed it to her chest in mock indignation. “How rude. And here I was about to compliment you on raising Regina to have such good manners, making sure her guests are always satisfied.”

Cora got the distinct impression that Maleficent was toying with her, and enjoying every moment of it. Well no longer. Cora would have the truth from this dragon witch. “What do you want?”

Cora saw a spark of something that might have been respect flash in Maleficent’s eyes at her bluntness. The other woman nodded her head and said, “Something quite simple, really.” 

“I want you to leave.”

Maleficent braced her arms on the bed and leaned forward. “I want you to leave this room, this castle, this _realm_ , and never return.”

“And leave my daughter to deal with her kingdom and her…personal life all alone? I think not,” Cora responded immediately. She would not be pushed out of her daughter’s life, and she would certainly not be forced to leave the Enchanted Forest for good. 

“I’m afraid neither of those things are your concern any longer,” the woman replied. Her voice took on a scornful note. “Not that your daughter has ever been much of a concern for you.”

“How dare you! You know nothing of my relationship with my daughter,” Cora said indignantly. She looked at Regina, still asleep, blissfully unaware of the confrontation building between her mother and her lover, and felt that familiar wave of frustration and anger. What lies had her daughter told the witch? What slanders had she cast upon the mother she had rejected? The mother that had done nothing but work towards her daughter’s best interests, despite Regina so often being a disappointment. The urge to shake her wayward child surged again, but before she could think to act upon it, her gaze was drawn back to the other woman in Regina’s room. In her life. In her heart.

Maleficent pushed herself up, and Cora hated the woman with everything in her for the way she stood tall and elegant and regal as she looked at Cora with disdain. Just like that spoiled brat Eva, just like every royal who had ever treated her like dirt for being a miller’s daughter. But she was stronger than them all, and she would not bow to Maleficent or anyone else. 

Maleficent seemed entirely unmoved by Cora’s defiance. Her lips curled back as she snarled, “let me make one thing very clear. You are still alive only because Regina does not wish you dead. However, Regina’s wishes or not, should you choose not to leave immediately, or to leave and then attempt to return to this world or contact her in any way, I will _burn you to ashes_.”

Cora saw the flames light Maleficent’s eyes but refused to be cowed. “You overestimate your power, dragon.”

“I believe it is you who overestimates, dear.” Cora blinked and suddenly Maleficent was behind her, hot breath against her ear as the dragon whispered, “shall we see which of us is right?”

The urge to stay, to fight, to show this conniving witch what it meant to cross the Queen of Wonderland, was _so strong_. But beneath the rage was the icy voice of ruthlessness and practicality that had guided her for years, guided her to her throne (in another land, her throne should be here). And that voice was pointing out that this was a fight she might very well lose. She was powerful, but Maleficent was legendary, and Cora had never been one to take on a battle she wasn’t certain she could win. She beat back her pride and her rage and forced herself to admit her – temporary – defeat.

But Cora refused to flinch from the other woman, her head held high even as she bit out in a voice too tight with anger and fear to be hidden, “That won’t be necessary. I have no desire to remain here; I have my own lands to rule.”

The one benefit of not looking at Maleficent was that she did not have to see the smirk that crossed the other woman’s face. It was enough to hear it dripping from every word the dragon bitch spoke. “Yes, you do. And you should really leave as soon as possible to make sure those lands are safe and well.” And then Maleficent was gone again, reappearing next to Regina’s chamber doors. Doors which flew open with just the slightest wave of the woman’s hand. “Don’t worry; I’ll give Regina your regrets.”

Cora didn’t bother to respond. She simply stepped away from Regina’s bedside and moved swiftly towards the door. She took note of the flash of anger that passed the dragon’s face, not realizing until much later that it was probably caused by Cora’s failure to give her daughter even a passing glance as she left. But then, what would have been the point? It was clear that Maleficent would not let Regina waken until Cora was gone, and she’d be damned if she showed the other sorceress weakness. Not even for one last glimpse of her sleeping child.

Cora swept out of the room, drawing the remains of her dignity around her like a cloak. She was a Queen. The Queen of Wonderland. 

As she strode down the hall that would take her to the courtyard and the little alcove where she’d planted that pesky rabbit, she passed by a partially closed door and spied her worthless excuse for a husband sitting inside. Immediately, an idea began to form. She might be prevented from returning to her daughter and the Enchanted Forest, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take a…souvenir for the trip back to Wonderland.

Something precious to Regina. Precious enough to lure her daughter through the looking glass herself. And when Regina came, Cora would be ready to finish this once and for all. A pleased smile spread across her face as she pushed open the door.

“Henry,” she said briskly, secretly delighting in the way he jumped and scurried across the room like a frightened mouse. At least there was still someone in this accursed realm that had sense enough to fear her power. “I’m glad to see you, dear.”

“You are?” Cora couldn’t blame him for his skepticism, and didn’t bother pretending any affection for the man. He was weak, but not a complete imbecile. No, she would get to him the way she always had, through his love of Regina. “I think we should discuss some matters concerning our daughter before I leave.”

She fingered the small vial in her pocket. This was not how she planned on using this particular potion, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized this plan was better. One sip, and Henry would once again be a useful pawn in her endless game. She looked at the teapot sitting on the small table by the hearth; perfect. She graced her husband with her first heartfelt smile since returning to the Enchanted Forest and gestured towards the fire.

“Perhaps over a cup of tea?”


End file.
